The White House says the Donald Trump administration is continuing “productive” negotiations with South Korea to reduce what it calls “unfair” trade barriers and improving market access for American companies.

The assessment came from a White House official in an email shared with Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency on Friday.

Before departing for Scotland, President Trump told reporters that Washington expects to finalize agreements with most countries before its reciprocal tariffs take effect on August 1.

Seoul, meanwhile, is making last-minute efforts to strike a deal to lower the 25-percent reciprocal tariff and additional sector-specific tariffs on steel and automobiles before the deadline.

Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who was originally scheduled to return to South Korea on Friday, has stayed in the U.S. along with Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo to continue talks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.